Myanmar Spitfire search finds water-filled crate

YANGON, Myanmar 
An excavation team searching for a stash of legendary World War II-era British fighter aircraft in northern Myanmar says it found a wooden crate believed to contain one of the aircraft that was full of water.

The crate was located during a dig that began last month, one of several planned nationwide.

It was not immediately clear how much damage the water may have caused, and searchers could not definitively say what was inside the crate.

But British aviation enthusiast David J. Cundall, who is driving the search, called the results "very encouraging."

Cundall said Wednesday he still expects the 18 planes thought buried in Myitkyina to be in good condition.

The single-seater Spitfire, which helped Britain beat back waves of German bombers, remains the most famous British combat aircraft.